


Let's Pretend We Both Forgot

by shakespeareandpunk



Category: Boy Meets World
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-31
Updated: 2014-05-31
Packaged: 2018-01-27 18:03:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1718534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shakespeareandpunk/pseuds/shakespeareandpunk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time they kiss, it's not like, a thing. (or, Shawn and Cory kiss and Topanga's totally fine with it, and they all move to New York)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let's Pretend We Both Forgot

The first time they kiss it's not like, a thing.

(and it's not even really the first time they kiss, really, but the quick peck they share on the playground when they're three doesn't really count, even if Cory's parents did take a picture of it because it was “so cute” and even if Shawn thinks about it a lot, especially when Cory talks about meeting Topanga in that very same playground.)

The first time they kiss they're both a little bit tipsy (well, Cory is a little bit tipsy, Shawn is past the point at which he gets drunk off of two beers), drinking outside of Chubby's one night. Cory is most definitely feeling delightfully rebellious because they have school tomorrow and they both know what would happen if his parents knew they were out getting buzzed on cheap beer instead of working on that report for Feeny that's due on Friday.

Thinking about it now, Shawn can't even really remember how exactly the kiss starts. He thinks it had something to do with Cory feeling inadequate about something, as usual, and Shawn arguing with him about it in an almost bored fashion. At one point he puts a hand on Cory's shoulder and turns his head to tell him to shut up already, and Cory presses his lips against Shawn's. And it's. It's not a thing, okay. It's Cory huffing a drunken laugh against Shawn's lips when Shawn makes a surprised noise, it's Shawn's fingers digging into Cory's denim jacket, it's the two of them leaning heavily on the brick wall of Chubby's, and it's Shawn pretending like he was also too drunk to remember the next day.

__

The day they both admit to remembering the kiss they both laugh it off, because it's been years and they're in college now and it wasn't a thing.

They're sitting on the couch in Eric, Jack, and Rachel's apartment laughing about something on MTV when Rachel and Jack come in, talking about Rachel's last date.

“He expected me to pay and at the end of the night he just assumed I was going to kiss him.”

Jack shakes his head and starts putting away the few groceries they had picked up while they were out. “Yeah, but did you kiss him?”

Rachel laughs like the answer should be obvious, “Yeah, something had to come out of it, right? But he was a lousy kisser.”

Cory, because he's Cory, asks, “How do you determine if someone is a lousy kisser?”

“You're not a lousy kisser, Cor.”

And every single head in the apartment swivels to look at Shawn where he sits on the couch, still staring at the television. Everyone talks at once.

“How would you know?”

“DUDE.”

“You remember it too?”

  
That gets Shawn's attention and at first he doesn't know who to respond to first before he settles on the most pressing one. He turns to Cory next to him, “You remember it?”

“Uh. Well – Yeah.” Cory turns a little pink and shrugs, “I mean, not well. We were both drunk, Shawn.”

He turns to Jack and Rachel who are still looking at the two of them with their mouths slightly open, but before he can explain the situation Jack just laughs

“Dude, been there.” and goes back to stocking cans of coke in the fridge, and okay that actually raises a lot of questions Cory has always vaguely had about the relationship between Jack and his brother, but that's a can of worms for a different time.

Rachel lets her gaze linger on them a little bit longer but eventually shrugs it off as well.

Cory and Shawn spare each other another glance and shared chuckle before focusing on _The Real World_.

 -

When Topanga finds out, she's not nearly as angry as either of them assume she would be.

It trickles down through the grapevine in some form or fashion – Rachel told Angela who told Topanga. They're mere months away from the wedding and she clearly has bigger things to worry about than her soon-to-be husband kissing his best friend in years past.

“To be honest, I thought we were all operating under the assumption that you two had kissed at some point in your lives. You two love each other, I've made peace with it.” She says it almost like it's a joke, like she always does, and they all laugh a little bit before Topanga pats them both on the shoulder with a manicured hand and walks away to talk to Angela about flower arrangements.

Cory and Shawn laugh a little bit longer than necessary after she leaves and only avoid eye contact a little bit.

_

The night of Cory and Topanga's wedding, sometime between Shawn and Cory making up and Cory and Topanga getting arrested, Shawn tells him.

“I wasn't drunk.”

Cory, who most definitely is drunk on happiness, champagne or both, just smiles his usual dopey smile. “What's that, Shawnie?”

Shawn looks out at the middle of the reception hall where Topanga is dancing with Mr. Matthews and then he lets his gaze return back to the man in front of him.

“That night in high school, outside of Chubby's. When we – I wasn't drunk.”

Cory straightens up immediately and looks at Shawn more seriously than he looks at most things. So not really drunk then. “I know. I wasn't really either.”

And that's. Shawn doesn't really know what to do with that so he just nods and takes a sip of his own champagne. He feels Cory's hand reach across the minute space between them and grab his hand, squeezing once before leaving to join Topanga on the dance floor.

_

When they kiss the second (well, third) time, they're decidedly sober and Cory's leaving for New York the next day. And Shawn's happy for them, really. Topanga is going to be amazing in New York, he can just see her strutting down the Upper East Side in her power suits. He's trying really hard not to feel like the one left behind, because all he really wants are his two best friends to be happy.

So he's upstairs in Cory's old bedroom, the previous occupant of said room sitting cross-legged on the floor looking through old picture albums and generally being the big sap that he is while Shawn lays on his back on Cory's old bed, staring up at the popcorn ceiling.

And there are a hundred things Shawn wants to say, but can't get any of them out. What do you say when the best friend you've had all your life is moving to a different state? He wants to say he'll miss him (and he will, at some point. He and Cory have never exactly been shy about showing affection), he wants to wish him and Topanga luck, he wants to ask him if he ever thinks about that kiss outside of Chubby's.

He's sorting through which of these things to say first when Cory surprises him by speaking first.

“You know I love you, right Shawnsie?”

And Shawn smiles, because this is a very Cory Matthews thing to say. This is normal for them, it's not weird, it's just how they are. They're best friends.

“Yeah, Cor, I know.”

But then Cory says something that makes Shawn sit up very slowly and look at him with a furrowed brow.

“I love both of you.”

Shawn pushes himself up to sit against the headboard and looks at Cory questioningly, trying to ignore how fast his heart is beating. “Huh?”

Cory crawls over to the side of the bed on his hands and knees, not touching Shawn, but just sitting back on his heels next to the bed.

“I love Topanga, and she knows that. But I love you too, and she knows that too.”

It's so serious, too serious for Cory Matthews and Shawn is waiting for the goofy grin and the dumb joke but they don't come. Instead, Cory reaches up and puts his hand on Shawn's hand where it's lying on top of the green and blue plaid of the comforter. Shawn can't think of anything to say in response, just turns his hand over to touch his palm to Cory's. And finally, there's the goofy grin and Shawn feels relief.

Then Cory leans over and kisses him, and it's a _thing_. His hand leaves Shawn's and moves up to slide into Shawn's hair, and pretty soon their mouths are opening to each other. Shawn feels kind of like his brain is short-circuiting and wonders if Cory is feeling the same way, when the other man pulls away.

They look at each other for a prolonged second before Cory's gone, leaning back on his heels again and just smiling at Shawn.

“Come with us to New York.”

But Shawn shakes his head and gets up, running a hand through the hair Cory had _his_ hand in moments before.

“Can't, Cor, this is you and Topanga now.” He smiles in a way that feels too fake, even to him, “Besides, this is Philly, man! This is home. What would I even do in New York?”

Cory takes a step towards him, “But Topanga wants you to come! Shawnie, look she knows and she's fine with -”

And, okay, that's something too big for Shawn to wrap his head around so he can't let Cory finish his sentence. He shakes his head, “Nah, I can't. But you'll come visit, right?” He slaps Cory on the shoulder, which should feel natural but it feels too forced, too stiff.

Cory looks at him like he wants to say a thousand different things at once but he just nods, “Yeah, man, of course we will.”

__

The next day it's showtime in the Matthews' kitchen and Shawn can't decide what he wants to not face first – the woman whose husband he had kissed less than twelve hours earlier or the inevitable goodbyes to his best friends in the entire world.

He and Cory are just saying their overly-dramatic but still completely sincere tear-filled farewells when Topanga slams the bulky duffel bag against his chest.

Cory looks between them and says “What's that?”

“His stuff.” Topanga looks a little too proud of herself.

The look of glee on Cory's face when he turns to face Shawn is overwhelming, “You're coming with us?” just as Shawn says “I'm going with you? Really?”

He looks at Topanga when he asks and she gives him a very knowing look before she giggles and claps her hands. And Shawn knows he should really think this through, but hey, he's Shawn Hunter and he's not the thinking-things-through type so instead he throws the duffel aside and jumps into the hug the same time Cory does. They're jumping up and down and out of the corner of his eye, Shawn can see Topanga smiling happily up at both of them and he can feel Cory gripping his waist a little tighter than necessary.

  
And maybe it is a thing. He's going to New York with his best friend, who he apparently kisses from time to time and his best friend's wife, who apparently is okay with him kissing her husband from time to time, and yeah it's a _thing_.


End file.
